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Despite high tariffs and poor quality of service, majority of mobile consumers will change their operator if they do not offer third generation (3G) services, according to a new survey by Deloitte.
According to the survey, about 74 per cent respondents said they would change operator if their current operator did not provide 3G access.
This assumes significance because none of the mobile operators has pan-India 3G coverage. This means that they will have to get into some form of roaming and sharing arrangements to retain consumers.
“Consumers are ready to pay premium price for 3G services if they get faster speed and better network coverage,” said a Deloitte press release.
Popular services
The most popular services people look from 3G include live TV, access to high-speed Internet, receive/send emails, make video call and download music tracks, video of entertainment, news, current affairs and sport content.
This is part of Deloitte's India's Mobile Consumption Survey 2011. The survey, conducted among 2028 respondents from India as part of the 17-nation study by Deloitte.
The study also says that network coverage and customer service remain the uncompromising needs to stay always connected. About 57 per cent of the respondents changed their operators because of poor network coverage. “Consumers will be inclined to choose a connectivity provider which best meet their evolving requirements, regardless of the underlying technology,” says Deloitte spokesperson.
About 30 per cent of respondents across all age groups showed great inclination to combine services of multiple operators.
“Some people would like to have voice plan from one operator and data from another. With market preference of customers across segments shifting towards dual SIM phones, the category is likely to see maximum growth over some time,” Deloitte said.
Nokia market share dips
In the handset segment, Nokia's market share has dipped below 50 per cent to 49 per cent, according to the survey. Samsung has 17 per cent share followed by Sony Ericsson at 7 per cent.
BlackBerry and LG have 5 per cent share each. Indian brands including Micromax, Spice and Karbonn together have about 9 per cent of the market.
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